Find · Buy · Sell, from wherever you live
Portugal property specialists for foreign buyers and owners
Let us help you find a home, buy it, or sell the one you own. We work only with people buying or selling from outside Portugal: we work in English, know the 2026 tax and cost rules for non-residents, and know which local agents actually serve international clients. Tell us what you need and we come back with a plan. Free to ask, no obligation.
- 175+ English-speaking agency offices profiled in 20 areas
- Every AMI licence checked on the official IMPIC register
- 2–3 estimates on one brief, not one agency’s pitch
If you live abroad and sell a Portuguese property in 2026, half your gain is taxable in Portugal at progressive rates of 12.5% to 48%, not the flat 28% that most websites still quote. Selling costs run about 6% to 7% of the price, mostly the estate agent's 5% commission plus 23% VAT, and the seller pays them. The buyer pays the transfer tax, now a flat 7.5% for many non-residents.
How can we help?
Free, about a minute. Finding or buying: we reply with the homes and agents that fit. Selling: a realistic price range and the right agent.
Message us on WhatsAppor use the form, about a minute
Where we help
20 areas, from Porto to the Algarve and Madeira
The places foreign buyers and owners actually buy. For each one we have prices actually paid, local rules and a licence-checked list of English-speaking agents.
Lisbon coast
Silver Coast
Central Portugal
Algarve
Alentejo coast
Madeira
Azores
How it works
- Tell us what you need. Selling: where the property is, what it is and your timing. Buying: the areas, budget and what you need. About a minute on the form, or one WhatsApp message.
- We come back with a plan. In English, usually within a day: a realistic price range and who should sell it, or the homes and agents that match your brief. We tell you why, and what it will cost you.
- We stay with you to the deed. We introduce you only to the agents you choose, and you can come back to us with questions on tax, costs and paperwork at any point.
Why not just contact an agency yourself?
| Contacting agencies yourself | With Portugal Owners | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | One agency’s opinion, and an agency pitching for your listing has a reason to quote high | Two or three estimates on the same brief, side by side, so you see the real range |
| Homes you see | Portugal has no shared listings system like the US MLS, so each agency mainly shows its own stock | Your brief goes to the agencies and buyer’s agents that hold the kind of home you want |
| Who to call | Picked from portal ads and search results | Matched to your area, property and budget, with the AMI licence checked on the official register |
| Your details | Every agency you contact has them and will follow up | No agency gets them until you choose who to talk to |
| Effort | Write to each agency, in each one’s format, from abroad | One form or one WhatsApp message, in English |
| Cost to you | Free | Free, and no agency pays to be listed on this site |
Prefer to choose yourself? Every agency we have checked is listed, with its licence, on the estate agents pages.
The questions sellers and buyers ask, answered
| Question | The position in 2026 |
|---|---|
| What tax does a non-resident pay on the gain? | Half the gain is taxable, at Portugal’s progressive rates of 12.5% to 48%, with the rate set by reference to your worldwide income. The old flat 28% rate for non-residents ended on 1 January 2023. Full guide. |
| What does it cost to sell? | Roughly 6% to 7% of the price before tax. Most of that is estate agent commission of about 5% plus 23% VAT. Official fees are small: €15 for the land registry certificate and €50 to cancel a mortgage registration. Full guide. |
| Who pays the estate agent? | The seller. Commission falls due at the deed, or when the promissory contract is signed if the mediation contract says so (Lei 15/2013, article 19). An agency cannot be paid by both buyer and seller in the same deal. Full guide. |
| What does the buyer pay? | IMT transfer tax, which since 25 May 2026 is a flat 7.5% for many non-resident buyers of homes, plus 0.8% stamp duty, the deed and registration. Residents and young first-time buyers use the sliding scales instead. Full guide. |
| Can the capital gains tax be reduced or avoided? | Sometimes. Main-home reinvestment relief, a new exemption for 2026 to 2029 sales where the proceeds are reinvested in Portuguese homes let at a moderate rent, and a full exemption for owners over 65 can each remove the tax. Selling costs and documented improvements also reduce the gain. Full guide. |
| Which estate agent should I use? | There is no official ranking. We have profiled more than 175 English-speaking agency offices and buyer’s agents across 20 areas, each with its AMI licence checked on the IMPIC register, and listed what each suits. Or tell us about your property or brief and we suggest two or three, free. Full guide. |
| Why do homes sell for less than the asking price? | Portal asking prices are not sale prices. In most areas we track, average asking prices sit roughly 10% to 40% above the median price actually paid (INE); across the Algarve the gap is about 30%. Pricing from comparable sales, not neighbours’ listings, is what gets a home sold. Full guide. |
| Is 2026 a good time to sell? | Prices are still rising but buyers are thinning. In Q2 2026 Portuguese house prices were 16.5% higher than a year earlier while the number of sales fell 6.4%, and purchases by buyers based abroad fell 13% in the first half of the year (INE). A home priced from recent sales still sells; one priced from portal asking prices waits. Full guide. |
| Can I sell without travelling to Portugal? | Yes. Sign a power of attorney (procuração) for the sale before a notary where you live and add an apostille, or sign it at a Portuguese consulate. Make it specific to the property and the sale. Full guide. |
| Can a foreigner buy property in Portugal? | Yes. There are no restrictions on foreigners or non-residents buying property in Portugal. You need a Portuguese tax number (NIF) before you sign anything, then a lawyer to check the property, a promissory contract (CPCV) with a deposit, and the deed. Full guide. |
| Should a buyer use a buyer’s agent? | The agent on a listing is hired and paid by the seller. A buyer’s agent works only for you, searches across agencies and negotiates. They are paid by you or by a share of the listing agent’s fee, never by both sides in one deal (Lei 15/2013, article 17). Full guide. |
| Do I need a fiscal representative in Portugal? | Not if you live in the EU or the EEA. Owners outside it can sign up to electronic notifications on Portal das Finanças instead of paying for a representative. Full guide. |
Figures current at 11 October 2026. General information, not tax or legal advice.
What changed for sellers
Much of what you'll read online about selling in Portugal is out of date. These are the changes that matter most.
Non-residents are taxed on 50% of the gain when they sell, at progressive rates. The old flat 28% rate no longer applies to property, although many websites still quote it. Read more
A new UK–Portugal tax treaty applies (in force since 29 December 2025; UK capital gains tax from 6 April 2026). It changes how UK pensions are taxed for people living in Portugal and how the UK credits Portuguese tax on a sale. Read more
A new exemption can remove capital gains tax on any home you sell if you reinvest the proceeds in Portuguese homes let at a moderate rent (Decree-Law 97/2026). Read more
Non-resident buyers pay a flat 7.5% property transfer tax (IMT) on homes, with refunds for some who move to Portugal. That changes who is buying from you. Read more
Deeds must now state whether the property’s habitation licence was shown or declared to exist (Decree-Law 108/2026). If it is omitted, either party can seek to annul the sale. Read more
Ten-year NHR tax status is running out for people who became Portuguese residents between 2016 and 2019. Pensions move to progressive rates of up to 48%. Read more
Start here
How to sell your Portuguese property while living abroad (2026 guide)
Sell from abroad with a power of attorney; declare the gain the following spring
Read the guideCapital gains tax when you sell Portuguese property as a non-resident (2026)
Non-residents are taxed on half the gain at 12.5%–48%, not a flat 28%
Read the guideThe costs of selling a property in Portugal in 2026
Budget roughly 6–7% of the price, mostly commission plus VAT, before tax
Read the guideInheritance tax in Portugal (2026): stamp duty, heirs' steps and selling an inherited property
No inheritance tax for close family, but the CGT base is the low tax value at death
Read the guideSelling property in Portugal as a UK resident: do you pay tax twice? (2026)
Portugal taxes first; the UK taxes the sterling gain and credits the Portuguese tax
Read the guideYour NHR status is ending: should you sell, stay or let your Portuguese home?
NHR ends after 10 years; a €35k pension then costs about €6,400 a year in tax
Read the guideBuying in Portugal
A non-resident buying a home has paid a flat 7.5% IMT since 25 May 2026, plus 0.8% stamp duty. On a €500,000 purchase that is €41,500 in transfer tax and stamp duty, against €31,300 on the sliding scale a resident buying a second home would use: €10,200 more, before the deed, registration and any lawyer. Work out your own figure with the IMT calculator or the buying cost calculator, then read the area guides for what homes actually sell for.
How to buy property in Portugal as a foreigner (2026): step by step, costs and taxes
Anyone can buy; non-residents pay 7.5% IMT, so budget 9–10% on top of the price
Read the guideBuyer's agents in Portugal (2026): what they do, what they cost and whether you need one
Few buyer's agents publish fees; always ask who pays the agent
Read the guideShould you buy before or after becoming Portuguese tax resident? The 7.5% IMT maths (2026)
Non-residents pay €10k–€15k more IMT; reclaimable only if you apply in time
Read the guidePrices and estate agents by area
Transaction medians and asking prices for the Algarve, the Lisbon coast, Porto, Madeira and Comporta, with the licensed agencies in each.
Browse the areasWho we are
Portugal Owners is an independent guide for British, Irish, European and American owners of property in Portugal. We are not an estate agency, we do not sell or value property, and no agency pays to appear in our guides. We read the law, work through the numbers and publish them in plain English, with the sources listed at the bottom of every page. How we work.